Boiling Navel Tea, Biting a Man’s Leg

One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu) - Plate 9
One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu) - Plate 9
This humorous print by Kyōsai depicts an absurd scene of someone brewing “navel tea” while biting a man’s leg. The juxtaposition of everyday ritual (tea brewing) with grotesque bodily action satirizes how our social conventions can verge on the ridiculous when taken literally.

Kawanabe Kyōsai
Woodblock print, ca. 1863–1866
From the series: One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
Format: small-format sheet (koban-ban), first edition
Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭屋与市)
Dimensions: approx. 13 × 18 cm
Medium: polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e) on handmade washi paper
Edition & Printing Details
This sheet belongs to the first edition of Kyōsai Hyakuzu, published between 1863–1866.

Note
This description is part of an evolving research project. Very few collections of this kind exist worldwide, and each newly studied sheet refines our understanding of the series. The catalogue will be continuously updated and expanded — leaving room for fresh interpretations, new connections, and unexpected discoveries that keep the collection alive and intriguing.